Olight i3T Review (180 lumen AAA Powered Flashlight)

Olight has another new small flashlight to take a look at. Today I have the Olight i3T EOS. It’s a small AAA powered, tail switch light with 2 modes of illumination. In my review I plan to compare it to the Streamlight MicroStream because they are similar in size and operation as well as price. Thanks to Olight for sending this out to take a look at.

Packaging & Size
The packaging is similar to other recent Olight products. It’s a white small cardbord box with relevant info on the sides and back. Inside is a plastic tray that holds the light and directions. This light doesn’t come with many extras only a preinstalled generic battery. The light is IPX8 water rated, and features a 5 year warranty. With battery it only weights 41g. (This one bothers my OCD)

Physical comparison
The triple AAA style lights carry well when they have a good clip. Both lights here are contenders. I find diameter to be important especially for summer EDC when wearing thinner materials and less bulky clothes. The Olight i3T is a hair shorter The nthe Streamlight Microstream, mostly all down to the button. The Streamlight has a bit of a reputation for not having the best retention in the clip. The Olight doesn’t seem to have this problem so far in my 2 weeks of carry. Aside from outputs and modes the buttons are the biggest difference. The Streamlight has a more traditional rubber button and you can activate it by rollin in from the side. The Olight on the other hand has plastic sides on the button and a rubber top so it can only be activated from straight down.

Construction
The Olight i3T is made of aluminum and has a gloss black anodizing on it. Starting at the tail the button stands proud and is easy to find. It has a studded rubber pattern on the very top, but the sides are hard plastic. This creates a very sturdy feel, and you have to be directly on top to activate it. This helps prevent side activation or rolling to activate. The tail is the only part that comes apart. It has straight cut knurling on it that is fine. Inside it’s a threaded brass insert with a gold colored spring.

The body has a unique grip. It’s a spiral cut area that’s milled out in two little rows. It’s not a high grip design but it’s more then some of the competitors have and it’s something different. It won’t tear up your clothes and I like it. The head is pretty simple. It’s glued in place and has branding and model name and serial number on it. The lens is glass and under is a TIR style reflector and a small LED.

The clip is a new design that is reversible and removable. In head down configuration it carries faily deep. It has ample area at either end for both thin and chick pants. Retention was good I had no issues on thin slick short pockets or thicker jean type pockets. The clip can also be used to attach the light the bill of a hat.

LED/Runtime/UI
The i3T usesa Philips Luxeon TX LED in cool white with a TIR reflector. This was the same LED used in the recent Olight i1R keychain light. It’s LED tint is not super cool, more of a warmer cool tint. Currently there are no plans to offer this in a warm or neutral tint.

The beam of the i3T has a small hot center with a smooth fall off to spill. The Streamlight’s beam pattern is similar but the cut off is harder. At distance this harder cut off is more apparent and the Olights looks more even. In my comparison shot here the Streamlight is on the left and the Olight is on the right. It’s hard to make a fair comparison shot because of the lumen differences. The Olight is on Low, and the Streamlight is on in it’s one mode. (Olight i3T on a cream colored wall on Low mode) (Streamlight Microstream on the left in it’s 1 mode, Olight i3T (CW) on low mode on the right. Different lumen outputs here.)

This light is not compatible with lithium 10440 batteries officially according to the manual. However it does work with them if they are flat tops. Mine happen to be button tops. It is compatible with Alkaline, and rechargeable NiHM batteries officially which is what I have been using and recommend since there is no low voltage protection. I suspect the internals are very similar to the recent Olight i1R keychain light as it’s the same LED and reflector combo.

For my runtime tests I used an Amazon Basics AAA rechargeable battery. I got a solid 10 minutes at the brightest setting (180 lumens) which was about 10 minutes before the light decreased in output to about 40% relative output over the next 10 minutes. At this point it ran for 40 minutes before continuing to drop off. Total runtime starting out in high was 70 minutes. The Olight i3T has a low mode as well at 5 lumens and they claim it will last for 16 hours. While the streamlight microstream has a longer output at 175 minutes it’s producing quite a bit less light during this time then compared to the olights High mode.

UI
The UI of the i3T is fairly simple. It starts off in low, and if you click (or momentary) again you get high output mode. If you change modes again within 2 seconds it will remember where you are, if longer then that the light will start again in low. The tail switch is capable of momentary with just a half press or constant on with a full press (audible click).

Pro’s

Small Size and TIR reflector

Well done dual direction pocket clip

Well built

2 Mode UI but 3 modes would be nicer.

Con’s

Cool white only emitter

Could be a little more throwy

No official 10440 compatibility due to lack of LVP.

No signature Olight blue Bezel.

Conclusion
The Olight i3T is a nice update to the 1 AAA options Olight has. I welcome the two mode button top design. The pocket clip has good retention and is deep enough. The top click mount button prevents side presses which helps prevent accidental activation in the pocket. The new milling on the body could be a bit more grippy in my opinion but I like the new look. I wish a neutral or warm tint LED was offered but I understand that adds cost and manufacture complications to service a smaller segment of the market. Overall I think the i3T is a nice light from Olight that should be popular to many and a good option for those looking for more output from a Streamlight Microstream or other similar lights. It can be purchased in the USA at OlightStore.com or at Amazon.